Happy new year! January is the time most of us set personal goals - what do we want to accomplish this year? Lose weight, be more organized, make more time for family...the list goes on. How about your business goals? Do you set business goals? Do you keep track of your business goals? Your goals will be more achievable and effective if you do!

Setting Business Goals

The first thing you should do is identify both your short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals typically are from a few days to six months. Long-term goals span longer periods of time - six months to several years. Goals often fall within four general areas - service, social, profit and growth.

Service - goals related to improving customer service satisfaction or customer retention.

Social - goals that focus on giving back to the community - i.e. through volunteering, sponsorship, etc.

Profit - goals set to increase profits.

Growth - goals related to the expansion of the company - i.e. through employees, branch expansion, etc.

SMART Goals

Be sure to make your goals SMART:

Specific - your goals need to be well defined and focused.

Measurable - ensure your goals are measurable. Put numbers in all goals to keep you on track and focused on the targeted results you want.

Attainable - it is important to dream big, but ensure you are realistic with your goals.

Realistic - make goals challenging, but consider your resources so that you can achieve them.

Time-Bound - it is critical to set goals and objectives with a clear and well defined timeframe.

Not only is it important to set SMART goals, you also need to review them on a regular basis and make adjustments if necessary! You may consider using apps to help you with tracking your goals - Wunderlist, Nozbe, GoalsOnTrack or LifeTick.

100 Women Who Care Uxbridge

White Glove Virtual Assistant is proud to be a supporter of 100 Women Who Care Uxbridge. They are a group of 100 women in Uxbridge who care about local community causes and who are committed to community service. They gather for just one hour every three months and at each meeting jointly select a local charity or not-for-profit organization and write a $100 cheque (per person/team) to the selected organization. At their last meeting, 100 Women Who Care Uxbridge raised $13,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham. To date, the group has raised almost $110,000 for local charities! The next meeting is February 24th at Wooden Sticks. For more information on this amazing group, please visit www.100womenuxbridge.com.

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